One of my proudest achievements, other than converting my husband from drinking lager to real ale, is introducing him to tomato-salting. It's the difference between meh and Masterchef. Also, I know they're cringingly retro and probably very unfashionable, but can I raise a hand for sundried tomatoes in salads (and a splash of the oil in dressing)? Rediscovered them recently and now my salads party like it's 1999.
Count me in for the Salad Appreciation Society. Always go for a salade composée in France where they have of course made it into an art - the perfect combination of fat, protein, crunch and sharp.
Salting tomatoes is such a revelation - I do it overnight then add feta and good bread for a ridiculously delicious breakfast in the summer. Tomatoes also will improve, even supermarket ones, if left on a sunny windowsill for a week or two, as they will continue to ripen. I find the cherry toms work best, though tbh the pallid greenish value pack ones are probably gas-grown and pretty much beyond redemption, but it does work on your average disappointing British tom especially if salted.
My fav chopped salad is a Turkish Cypriot one - I use Meliz Berg’s recipe from Meliz Cooks - can’t find it online but it's pretty simple: good black olives; cherry toms halved; cucumber deseeded and cut into kind of thumb sized chunks; a quarter to a half of sweetheart cabbage shredded fine
y (about a mean half-a-centimetre slices), about the same amount of cos-type lettuce cut the same; half to a small whole sweet white onion, finely sliced - use the fat ‘salad onions’ when you see them, or slice up spring onions; about half a large bunch of coriander, chopped! and a tablespoon of dried (not fresh) mint. Dress by chucking a tablespoon of lemon juice, some salt and real pepper, and then probably two to three tbs olive oil and mix furiously. The cabbage sounds weird but gives extra crunch without being at all cabbagey, and the coriander/dried mint combo is ace. I love that this tastes fantastic made with bog standard supermarket ingredients (though I do buy big tubs of olives from a Turkish supermarket) and is as good in winter as in summer.
Also search Meliz’s website for ‘bidda’ which are heavenly really flexible flatbreads. I use my breadmaker almost exclusively for kneading dough these days: 10 mins on the pizza setting does for these. If anyone has an unused breadmaker lurking, do try making bread (as Rebecca says, SO easy) just using flour, yeast, water and salt. Use only the dough setting , shape and turf into a bread tin to have another rise and bake in the oven. More faff than buying it but will be a revelation if you tried it before with all the milk powder and butter and random shit the booklet suggests to give you an nice sliced white type of loaf. Because everybody bought a breadmaker to replicate a Hovis loaf at fair expense and inconvenience, right?
You’re very welcome. Apparently I have many thoughts on salad, who knew? Apologies for the somewhat chaotic typing - the chopped coriander is considerably less exciting than I have made it seem with that random exclamation mark.
Salting tomatoes is a revelation I had last year, absolutely changed my life. I like to have the Taming Twins Marry Me Chicken (look it up if you've not tried it - divine) on sourdough, topped with well seasoned tomato slices. Bloody lovely. *Chef's kiss*
I loved reading this. And I'm making a salad because of it -- admittedly today's is more sliced chicken kiev with chopped lettuce and some slightly sad looking shredded beetroot but tomorrow I'm going to investigate the power of a posh tomato from Bayley and Sage because I've walked by them every week for months and now I feel like perhaps it can be a justifiable little treat. Thanks for sharing. I never thought a chat about sexy croutons and salads would make me smile so much but it really has.
I was actually eating a salad when I opened this - leftover new potatoes, rocket, tomatoes in a large amount of dressing made from Greek yogurt, EVOO, capers and caper brine 😋 salad for lunch is a great idea - I don’t do it enough
One of my proudest achievements, other than converting my husband from drinking lager to real ale, is introducing him to tomato-salting. It's the difference between meh and Masterchef. Also, I know they're cringingly retro and probably very unfashionable, but can I raise a hand for sundried tomatoes in salads (and a splash of the oil in dressing)? Rediscovered them recently and now my salads party like it's 1999.
Count me in for the Salad Appreciation Society. Always go for a salade composée in France where they have of course made it into an art - the perfect combination of fat, protein, crunch and sharp.
Salting tomatoes is such a revelation - I do it overnight then add feta and good bread for a ridiculously delicious breakfast in the summer. Tomatoes also will improve, even supermarket ones, if left on a sunny windowsill for a week or two, as they will continue to ripen. I find the cherry toms work best, though tbh the pallid greenish value pack ones are probably gas-grown and pretty much beyond redemption, but it does work on your average disappointing British tom especially if salted.
My fav chopped salad is a Turkish Cypriot one - I use Meliz Berg’s recipe from Meliz Cooks - can’t find it online but it's pretty simple: good black olives; cherry toms halved; cucumber deseeded and cut into kind of thumb sized chunks; a quarter to a half of sweetheart cabbage shredded fine
y (about a mean half-a-centimetre slices), about the same amount of cos-type lettuce cut the same; half to a small whole sweet white onion, finely sliced - use the fat ‘salad onions’ when you see them, or slice up spring onions; about half a large bunch of coriander, chopped! and a tablespoon of dried (not fresh) mint. Dress by chucking a tablespoon of lemon juice, some salt and real pepper, and then probably two to three tbs olive oil and mix furiously. The cabbage sounds weird but gives extra crunch without being at all cabbagey, and the coriander/dried mint combo is ace. I love that this tastes fantastic made with bog standard supermarket ingredients (though I do buy big tubs of olives from a Turkish supermarket) and is as good in winter as in summer.
Also search Meliz’s website for ‘bidda’ which are heavenly really flexible flatbreads. I use my breadmaker almost exclusively for kneading dough these days: 10 mins on the pizza setting does for these. If anyone has an unused breadmaker lurking, do try making bread (as Rebecca says, SO easy) just using flour, yeast, water and salt. Use only the dough setting , shape and turf into a bread tin to have another rise and bake in the oven. More faff than buying it but will be a revelation if you tried it before with all the milk powder and butter and random shit the booklet suggests to give you an nice sliced white type of loaf. Because everybody bought a breadmaker to replicate a Hovis loaf at fair expense and inconvenience, right?
This is FANTASTIC intel, thank you!!
You’re very welcome. Apparently I have many thoughts on salad, who knew? Apologies for the somewhat chaotic typing - the chopped coriander is considerably less exciting than I have made it seem with that random exclamation mark.
Salting tomatoes is a revelation I had last year, absolutely changed my life. I like to have the Taming Twins Marry Me Chicken (look it up if you've not tried it - divine) on sourdough, topped with well seasoned tomato slices. Bloody lovely. *Chef's kiss*
Late to the chat but I’m already excited to make a salad this weekend. Signed, not a salad lover (yet)
I loved reading this. And I'm making a salad because of it -- admittedly today's is more sliced chicken kiev with chopped lettuce and some slightly sad looking shredded beetroot but tomorrow I'm going to investigate the power of a posh tomato from Bayley and Sage because I've walked by them every week for months and now I feel like perhaps it can be a justifiable little treat. Thanks for sharing. I never thought a chat about sexy croutons and salads would make me smile so much but it really has.
I am also a Bayley and Sage groupie!!
I was actually eating a salad when I opened this - leftover new potatoes, rocket, tomatoes in a large amount of dressing made from Greek yogurt, EVOO, capers and caper brine 😋 salad for lunch is a great idea - I don’t do it enough
Oh this sounds fantastic